Manager, Commander Support Program

Matt is the manager of Spirit of America's Commander Support Program, a ground-breaking initiative that puts Spirit of America field representatives alongside US military units deployed to Afghanistan to deliver fast, flexible and decentralized humanitarian and economic development assistance in support of US military counterinsurgency and stability operations.

Matt joined Spirit of America in June 2010 and was our organization's first field representative. He co-launched the Commander Support Program in Afghanistan, working with and alongside the United States Marine Corps in ISAF-NATO's Regional Command Southwest from December 2010 through April 2011. Following his work in Regional Command Southwest, he became manager of the Commander Support Program and led the program's expansion to United States Army units operating in Regional Command South.

Before joining Spirit of America, Matt served as a United States Army officer. He was the Effects Coordinator for 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment out of Fort Riley, Kansas during their yearlong deployment to Baghdad, Iraq in 2008-09. In this capacity, Matt managed the battalion's Commanders' Emergency Response Program (CERP) development projects and met regularly with local Baghdad district government officials.

Matt has contributed to Small Wars Journal and Tom Ricks' Best Defense blog at ForeignPolicy.com

Matt is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and now lives in Los Angeles, California. He is a graduate of Penn State University, where he earned B.A. degrees in international politics and history.